{UAH} EUROPEANS WILL BE TAUGHT TO DIE
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"Europeans Will Be Taught to Die." EU Prepares for March on Russia
Political scientist Shumitskaya: It will take decades to rearm the European Union
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. File photo
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MOSCOW, March 6 — RIA Novosti, Mikhail Katkov. The European Union, shocked by the new US authorities, has decided to ensure its own security. No one is openly talking about breaking with NATO yet, but faith in the North Atlantic Alliance has clearly diminished. Will Brussels be able to break with Washington and what threat does this pose to Moscow — in the RIA Novosti article.
Everything for the front
EU leaders have agreed on a €800 billion ReArm Europe program. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the money will come from financial liberalization. In particular, various restrictions will be lifted.
© RIA Novosti / Alexey Vitvitsky
Flags with EU symbols at the European Commission building in Brussels
"We seek peace through strength, and that is why I propose investing 800 billion in defense," she emphasized. And she added: the issue is whether Europe is ready to defend itself.
The leaders of Italy and Spain were very pleased with this approach - their governments are heavily in debt and suffer from EU budget rules. The leaders of Austria, Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark expressed some doubts, but were reassured.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has not objected to strengthening defence capabilities, but has refused to act on orders from Brussels. "These efforts should empower EU members, not Brussels bureaucrats," he said.
The final statement secured the allocation of additional funds "while ensuring debt sustainability, in order to facilitate significant defence spending at national level". In addition, it noted the need to increase "defence funding at EU level, including through incentives offered to all states".
© AP Photo / Denes Erdos
Viktor Orban
The main threat is, of course, Russia. However, it was not Moscow that pushed Europe to take emergency measures. This is the merit of the US President, whose decisions horrified many. Thus, according to a YouGov poll, Donald Trump is considered a major threat by 58% of Italians, 69% of the French, 74% of Germans, 75% of the Spanish and 78% of the British. Vladimir Putin is also feared (at the level of 74-89%), but this has long been no surprise to anyone.
French Revolution
Before the summit, Emmanuel Macron, addressing the nation, said that Moscow is seeking to turn the NMD into a global conflict. "By 2030, Russia plans to increase its army by another 3,000 tanks and 300 fighters. Who will believe that they will stop in Ukraine?" he said.
And he proclaimed a new era. According to him, almost a million people have died in the fighting in Ukraine, and as many have been wounded. And the US is supporting Kyiv less and less, "causing doubts about the future."
© AP Photo/Yoan Valat/Pool Photo
French President Emmanuel Macron during military exercises of the French army at a military camp near Reims
Calling the French army the most effective in Europe, Macron proposed creating a "nuclear umbrella" for Europe from 500 warheads from France and Great Britain. Germany would also join in.
"Whatever the outcome of the conflict in Ukraine, European countries must be prepared to defend themselves and prevent new threats. We must strengthen our defense. We remain committed to NATO, but we must strengthen our independence. The fate of Europe cannot be determined in Washington and Moscow," the French president concluded.
This speech was preceded by debates in parliament, where they discussed, among other things, the quarrel between Trump and Zelensky. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou opened the meeting and immediately condemned the White House. "We witnessed a scene of astonishing cruelty. The goal was to break Zelensky with threats. To the credit of Europe, the Ukrainian president did not give in," he noted.
© AP Photo / Mystyslav Chernov
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting in Washington
And he pointed to the powerful military potential of the Old World: "The combined GDP of the EU and Great Britain is more than ten times greater than Russia's GDP. <…> Our combined armed forces together with Great Britain are more than 2.5 million professional soldiers, 25% more than Moscow's. <…> If we are strong, we must defend ourselves."
He was supported by almost everyone, which has not happened in parliament for a long time. Only the leader of the National Rally parliamentary group, Marine Le Pen, rejected Macron's new course, calling the idea of creating a European army a utopia, and the proposal to send French troops to Ukraine madness. However, even she condemned Trump for his "cruelty" with Zelensky and criticized Europe's dependence on Washington. "No one can force the United States to continue supporting them if they don't want to. However, it is unfair that Ukraine was not given time to prepare," Le Pen said.
European campaign
In Germany, the CDU/CSU and SPD have not yet formed a governing coalition, but have already agreed to increase military spending. Thus, the likely future chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that events in Europe and the world are developing faster than could have been imagined, so extraordinary efforts must be made to ensure defense. This must be achieved "at any cost."
© AP Photo / Michael Sohn
An election poster for the German party Alternative for Germany next to a portrait of CDU/CSU leader Friedrich Merz in Berlin
The CDU/CSU, together with the SPD, intend to submit a proposal to parliament to reform the so-called debt brake, which does not allow the state to borrow more than 0.35% of GDP. This is enshrined in the constitution and can only be abolished with the support of two-thirds of the Bundestag deputies. Merz wants to raise the bar to 1% of GDP.
In order for the initiative of Christians and socialists to be approved, it is necessary to secure the support of the Greens. If the discussion moves to the new convocation of parliament, the votes of three parties will not be enough. It will be necessary to negotiate with the Left or the Alternative for Germany, which will complicate the situation considerably.
© AP Photo/Markus Schreiber
A worker in the Bundestag meeting room
The Czech Republic will increase defense spending from 2% to 3% of GDP by 2030. According to Prime Minister Petr Fiala, this is the "necessary minimum." He is also confident that Trump's suspension of aid to Ukraine requires a fundamental change in European policy.
"We must strengthen our economic and military capabilities and take full responsibility for our own security. This means increasing investment in defense. Ensuring our security also means increasing support for Ukraine. We cannot allow the success of an aggressive Russia that threatens us all. The era of others solving fundamental international problems for us in our name is over. It is time for Europe to move from words to actions," the Prime Minister emphasized.
Fog of war
Ekaterina Shumitskaya, a research fellow at the Department of European Political Studies at IMEMO RAS, attributes the Europeans' attempts to strengthen their defense primarily to the shock caused by the start of Trump's presidency. She does not believe that they will succeed in the short term, and in the future, much depends on Washington's foreign policy.
"EU-US relations are going through a crisis that arose even before Trump, but worsened under him. European diplomats have long feared this, but did not prepare for it in any way. In particular, the EU took a course on independence during Trump's first presidential term, but almost nothing has been done since then. Under Joe Biden, this idea has generally transformed into an auxiliary wing of NATO. Accordingly, if Trump is impeached, the likelihood of which is growing over time, and a more sane politician, from the EU's point of view, takes his place, the idea of independence may again lose relevance," the expert reasons in an interview with RIA Novosti.
© AP Photo / Gero Breloer
NATO exercises in the Baltic Sea
She also said that 800 billion euros is an impressive sum, but for now these are all beautiful slogans, not a real plan of action. In particular, the EU will have to rebuild the economy and instill in Europeans the idea that they must be ready to die for their well-being. All this could take decades, so it is too early to talk about the destruction of NATO or a serious threat to Russia.
Nikolai Topornin, Associate Professor of the Department of European Law at MGIMO, agrees that since Trump's first presidential term, the EU has not strengthened its independence from the US, but much has changed now. In particular, eight years ago there was no conflict in Ukraine.
© AP Photo / Pavel Golovkin
French military during exercises
"It doesn't matter that Russia is not going to attack the EU, the Europeans are very afraid of this. In addition, they see that everyone around them is modernizing their armies: the US, China, Russia. <…> Only Hungary did not support the rearmament plan, but it has few troops. The main thing is that France, Germany, Spain, Great Britain and Italy will take part in this. And no one is demanding serious military achievements from Estonia," he noted in a conversation with RIA Novosti.
In his opinion, by 2030 the EU will not reach the same level of defense spending as the US, but it will come close. After all, during the Cold War, the Europeans spent a lot on security and nothing terrible happened to them.
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